Holocaust Remembrance Day
Our Churches of the Home should be places of joy and celebration—a place of growing in faith as a family with positivity and hope. However, sometimes our Churches of the Home must be solemn and take time to reflect and discuss the darker moments of life.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We pause to mourn one of the six million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. We also remember the other groups targeted during the holocaust: the Roma, Sinti, Slavs, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, racial minorities, political opponents, and those whose religious beliefs conflicted with Nazi ideology. We honor the courage of survivors and the heroism of people who bravely stood up to the Nazis, risking everything to save innocent lives.
One family that gave their lives to protect the innocent was the newly beatified Ulma Family. Józef and Wiktoria Ulma, with their seven children, were a Polish Catholic family in Poland during the Nazi German occupation. They attempted to rescue Polish Jewish families by hiding them in their own home during the Holocaust. They and their children were executed on March 24, 1944 for doing so.
With the wars in Gaza and Ukraine plus genocides occurring in Myanmar, the Sudan, Iraq the Central African Republic, China, Syria, and Yemen, the world is still dealing with heinous acts against groups of people. For Catholics, recalling and fighting these atrocities is essential. We must commit to not just remembering but to acting against violence and hatred today.
Pope Francis said "There can be no sustained commitment to building fraternity together without first dispelling the roots of hatred and violence that fueled the horror of the Holocaust." We may not be able to directly change what is occurring in other parts of the world, but we can work towards peace and love here in our communities.
As a Church of the Home, take time to reflect and talk about the Holocaust.
Find time to pause, light a candle, and pray for those affected by the Holocaust and those suffering genocide today.
Search online for stories of survivors and discuss them as a Church of the Home.
Revisit the Catholic Social Teaching of Life and Dignity of the Human Person:
How do those in your Church of the Home uphold the dignity of other people?
How do those in your Church of the Home deal with conflict and different opinions, within and beyond the home?
Prayer
Eternal God, you hold all of our days in your hands.
On this day, we come before you to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
We lament the loss of the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution, and victims of other genocides.
May our minds be clear and attentive to their memory and our hearts be moved to bear witness to their lives.
Today, help us to remember and recognize the sanctity of each human life, that all people are made in Your image.
One day, we pray that genocide and hatred will be no more, and that love will triumph over evil.
In our prayers and in our actions, help us to show this love in the world today.
Amen.
Catholic Schools Week
Resurrection celebrates the start of Catholic Schools Week by recognizing the invaluable contributions of Catholic education in nurturing faith, knowledge, and community among our students.
Check out this video about Father Allouez Catholic School
Join us for Mass at 4:00 PM on Saturday, 8:30 or 10:30 AM on Sunday, or on www.gbres.org/live, our YouTube channel, and our Facebook page.
READINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MASSES
VIRTUALLY SUNDAY REFLECTION
Where is the authority in our world? It all depends on how you view it. Is it the power one has or something more? True authority comes from a relationship with God and is rooted in love. Authority builds up the kingdom of God; maybe that's what our world needs more of - more true authority. Join Tony as he reflects on this weekend's scripture readings.
This Weekend's Bulletin
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Ruby and Res
For some reason, Ruby can hear an ant eat a soft pretzel in the next county.
Her ability to hear the sound of chewing is uncanny.
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